Of Storms And Stapled Fingers
by Lacrimosa Cruentus Luna
Summary: Natsume is trying to nap, but the storm isn't the only thing keeping him awake.


**Author's note: **Yeah, yeah, I know I should be working on my three other fics, but two days ago, I accidentally stapled my finger (it hurts a lot) and for the past three days it's been storming off and on non-stop. Hence the inspiration. At least that's one good thing…

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gakuen Alice. Sometime ago I would've said that I'd staple myself for ownership over it…but as of –cough cough- recently events, I think I'd rather not.

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The storm was massive. Some students hide under their beds. Some tried to look tough. Other's even dared each other to go out in it. Natsume Hyuuga was an exceptional case: he slept, more or less. Every so often, a bolt of lightening would light up the classroom where he napped; or a loud rumbled of thunder would jolt him from his dreams. There was one exception where a piercing scream startled him awake, but it was obviously Mikan being stupid, so Natsume just passed out again.

The hail had begun and had woken him up with the _tap-tap-tap _tapping when a whirlwind rushed into the room. It was very lucky Natsume was already awake or Mikan would've quickly become the world's largest toasted marshmallow. Not to mention the loudest.

"NATSUME-KUN! NATSUME-KUN! NAAAAAAATTSUUUUUMEEEE-KUUUUUUN!" she shrieked in his ear and Natsume twitched. He was in an incredibly bad mood.

"Shut up, Polka, or I swear I'll—" he began but then Natsume noticed she was clutching her finger and tears where falling like the rain down her face. Alarm shot through him, but he kept it well hidden.

"What happened?" he asked evenly.

"I stapled my finger," Mikan sniffed. Natsume stared.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked. Mikan shook her head and a flurry of mixed emotions went about Natsume's small body like he was some sort of blender.

He was concerned for Mikan (but only slightly, he told himself), trying not to laugh at the fact that she had indeed stapled herself, and irritation that she had come to him---wait a second. Why _had _she come to Natsume instead of somebody with a healing alice? Blinking, Natsume voiced the question.

Mikan looked just as stumped as Natsume.

"Because…because…because…" she said, repeating the same word several more times before Natsume sent her a look that said quite clearly _shut the hell up. _

Mikan then realized she'd stopped crying. Of course, after realizing this, the pain came flooding back along with the tears.

Natsume panicked on the inside. What to do? No, seriously, what to do? He took his time to survey the situation. She was hurt and wanted him to help her. It was in Natsume's nature to tell her to clear off, but Mikan was…a special case.

"How did this happen?" he asked her tiredly. It wasn't like Mikan to take a stapler and staple herself…was it? And there was no way she was stupid enough to—never mind. That was a possibility.

"The thunder scared me," Mikan sniffled. "And I put my finger under the staple part right when I pressed down because I jumped."

The hick girl was terrified of thunder? Seriously?

"So it was an accident?" Natsume asked for clarification.

"Of course it was," Mikan said indignantly.

That's what they all say.

"Right…so, we should probably get the staple out of you," Natsume said gruffly looking warily at the offender object. For such a small thing, it did a lot of damage, particularly to his ears.

Mikan whimpered and all but jumped backward. Natsume gave her a look.

"What?"

"It'll hurt," Mikan squeaked.

"It'll hurt if I leave it in," Natsume argued.

"But it hurt going in and it'll hurt going out!"

"Just a little bit, but we'll just wash away the blood and—"

"Blood? Who said anything about blood?"

Natsume groaned. He was fighting a losing argument here.

Outside the door, Narumi was thinking about how sad it was that children could loose their innocence so young.** (A/N**: you just have to think of their conversation in a perverted way**)**

"Don't you trust me?" Natsume asked, surprising himself with the question.

"Of course I do," was her even more surprising answer.

"OK, then get over here," Natsume said, motioning to the spot next to him.

Quaking, Mikan sat down and held out her hand gently.

"Don't shake so much," Natsume ordered sharply. Mikan obediently froze. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the pain to come.

It did. Natsume winced when he careful extracted the metal piece from her finger. He told himself that he winced because she let out an agonized scream in his ear, but that annoying voice in his head (you know that voice, don't waste your time pretending that you don't) was telling the flame caster—in an annoyingly smug tone—that it was out of the guilt of being the cause for her pain. The room was so quiet the clink that the staple made when Natsume dropped it to the floor could be heard.

"You should probably wash off your finger," Natsume said shakily. Mentally, he beat the crap out of himself. Never in his life had his voice sounded slightly shaken. But as previously stated, Mikan was a special case.

He was about to say something else when Mother Nature felt the need to butt in and thunder roared around the school. The lights blinked out as lightening flashed and Natsume barely saw Mikan all but jump into his lap.

The small girl was clinging to him like a koala.

"Or not," he grumbled. It was pitch black.

"You could light a fire," Mikan suggested weakly. Soon, little balls of fire were glowing around the classroom.

"We could go now," Natsume said after some silence. There was no response and Natsume looked down to see that Mikan had passed out.

Apparently, being stapled takes a lot out of someone.

"Or not," he said for the second time. Mikan mumbled something against his chest and Natsume glanced down. She looked peaceful.

"Thank…Natsume…" she breathed.

"You're welcome, Polka," Natsume said quietly.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT PERVERT!" she shrieked suddenly.

"I like you better asleep," Natsume sighed.

"I like _you _better asleep," Mikan snapped.

"You're the one who passed out, not me," Natsume pointed out.

"…So?"

"So it doesn't make any sense for you to say that."

"Yes it does!"

"How?"

"…"

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Natsume said triumphantly. Naturally, this wasn't enough to shut Mikan up. In fact, it only made her worse. And to think that Natsume had even helped her remove that damn staple.

"Now look here—" she started and Natsume mentally groaned at the thought of having to hear her speak anymore. So for the sake of himself—and the rest of the academy, he told himself—he kissed her. Just to shut her up of course. Well, that had been the general idea. It didn't quite end that way though.

"Well, if I knew you were going to do _that _when I stapled myself, I think I'll do it more often," was Mikan's sole reply.

"I'll burn every stapler in this school if you ever think about it again," Natsume informed her, struggling to think clearly.

"I'll make you a deal."

"Go for it."

"Kiss me again and I won't staple myself again. Ever."

It had been an accident in the first place and Mikan wasn't dumb enough to seriously staple herself on purpose (right?), but Natsume complied all the same. There was another thunder roar against the tapping rain, but this time, neither of the two moved. They were somewhere else, somewhere where there was no rain. Just sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows.

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Well, that didn't turn out quite like I planned it to…oh well. Review!


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